Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 1

Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612)

PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM–PART 1

Instructions
1. Please don’t open the exam until you are told to do so.

2. This exam is being administered under the University’s rules for academic conduct; the Code of
Academic Integrity applies.

3. The exam consists of 5 multiple choice questions and 4 essay questions.

4. Use the white spaces (and backs of pages) in this question booklet as scratch paper for the multiple
choice questions. Your final answers should be indicated with a pen in the appropriate boxes on page
1 of your answer sheet booklet.

5. Write your answers to the essay questions in the answer sheet booklet. You can use a pen or a pencil.
If you need more answer sheets, you can request them, and they will be provided for you. Do not use
the backs of answer sheets, since these back pages will not be graded.

6. IMPORTANT: Print your name and Penn ID number on the first page of your answer sheet booklet.

7. This is an open-book exam, i.e. you are free to use any course material. You are allowed to use a
pocket calculator. Laptop computers and cell phones are not allowed.

8. You have two hours. The time left in the exam will be announced periodically. If you finish early, you
can quietly hand in your answer sheet booklet and leave, unless there is less than ten minutes left in
the exam.

9. Please stop writing when requested to. There will be a penalty of 20 points for the people
who don’t.

10. Remain seated until all the answer sheet booklets (not just yours) have been collected.
 Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 1

PART I: MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (Total points: 25)

INSTRUCTIONS: A correct answer to each of these questions is worth 5 points. An incorrect answer is
worth 0. Also, for each question that you choose not to answer, you get 1 point. If you do choose to answer,
write your answer clearly in the appropriate box on page 1 of your Answer Sheet Booklet. Your answers
should be capital letters written with a pen. An empty box will be interpreted as a “no answer.”

1. A 10-year annuity paying $x at the beginning of every year (i.e. the first of ten payments is made
today) is worth the same (today) as an annuity of $300 payable every 6 months for 10 years
(20 payments), the first payment of which is due 66 months from now. If the annual interest rate
(compounded annually) is 3%, find x.
a. $232.73 d. $508.11
b. $502.48 e. $521.42
c. $506.23

2. A machine costing $3,000 must be replaced at the end of 8 years. The resale value of the machine at
the time of replacement is $600. At what annual discount rate (compounded annually) would it be
equally economical to use a similar machine costing $4,000 with a life of 8 years and a resale value of
$1,900? (Assume that there is no taxes.)
a. 2.4% d. 3.3%
b. 2.7% e. 3.6%
c. 3.0%

3. What is the present value of 15 payments of $100 each received every 18 months (the first one
occuring in 18 months from now), if the annual discount rate (compounded annually) is 9%?
a. $620.43 d. $951.28
b. $875.56 e. $1,209.10
c. $930.61

4. Corporate managers can maximize shareholder wealth by choosing positive NPV projects because:
a. all investors have the same preferences.
b. the unhappy shareholders can sell off their shares.
c. given the existence of financial markets, investors will be satisfied with the same real investment
decisions regardless of personal preferences.
d. managers are wiser than shareholders regarding investments.
e. none of the above.
 Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 1

5. In the figure below, the sloping straight line represents the opportunities for investment in the capital
market, and the solid curved line represents the opportunities for investment in plant and machinery
(real assets). The company’s only asset at present is $21 million in cash.

$ Tomorrow

34.5

25

17.25

15 21 30 $ Today

Note that the figure is not drawn to scale, and that all the numbers are in millions.

Let I denote the optimal amount that should be invested in real assets, and r the interest rate in
capital markets. Calculate I/r.
a. 3.2 million d. 40 million
b. 12 million e. 60 million
c. 32 million

PART II: ESSAY QUESTIONS (Total points: 75)

INSTRUCTIONS: Each of the following questions is to be answered in the Answer Sheet Booklet. You can
use a pen or a pencil. If you need more answer sheets, you can request them, and they will be provided for
you. Do not use the backs of answer sheets, since these back pages will not be graded. The number of points
for each question is indicated in parentheses at the beginning of the question. In answering these questions,
make sure to show all your calculations; in particular, no points will be given for calculator shortcuts.

1. (20 points) Every year, you receive your entire annual salary at the end of the year. This year, your
end-of-year salary will be $50,000 (in nominal terms). In real terms, you expect your salary to
increase at a rate of 2% per year in the future.
You have decided to start saving for retirement by putting money in a savings account. You plan to
retire in 35 years, and you expect to live for 25 years after that. You assess that a reasonable lifestyle
during those 25 years will require you to have, at the end of every year, a disposable income of
$25,000 in real terms (i.e. the same purchasing power as $25,000 today). The nominal interest rate on
your savings account is 8%, and it is expected to stay at that rate forever. The real interest rate is also
expected to stay at its current level of 3.5%.
 Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 1

a. What is the inflation rate?

b. How much money (in nominal terms) will you need to have in your savings account when you
retire, in 35 years (end of year 35), in order to be able to enjoy the lifestyle that you find reason-
able? HINT: First calculate the amount that you will need in real terms.

c. Suppose that you will start saving for retirement at the end of the current year. Suppose further
that you plan to make 35 deposits (one at the end of every year). All deposits are a fixed fraction
x of your salary. Find the fraction x that will allow you to reach your “reasonable lifestyle” objec-
tive. HINT: You will need to make use of the growing annuity formula.

2. (15 points) You are a financial analyst for a company that is considering a new project. If the project
is accepted, it will use a fraction of a storage facility that the company already owns but currently
does not use. The project is expected to last 10 years, and the annual discount rate is 10% (com-
pounded annually).
You research the possibilities, and find that the entire storage facility can be sold for $100,000 and a
smaller (but big enough) facility can be acquired for $40,000. The book value of the existing facility
is $60,000, and both the exisiting and the new facilities (if it is acquired) would be depreciated
straight line over 10 years (down to a zero book value). The corporate tax rate is 40%. What is the
opportunity cost of using the existing storage capacity? HINT: Think about what you would gain and
lose if you did not.

3. (15 points) You own a rental building in the city and are interested in replacing the heating system.
You are faced with the following alternatives:
a. A solar system, which will cost $12,000 to install and $500 at the end of every year to run, and
will last forever (assume that your building will too).
b. A gas-heating system, which will cost $5,000 to install and $1,000 at the end of every year to run,
and will last 20 years.
c. An oil-heating system, which will cost $3,500 to install and $1,200 at the end of every year to run,
and will last 15 years.
If your opportunity cost of capital (discount rate) is 10%, which of these three options is best for you?
 Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 1

4. (25 points) The following bonds are traded in a well functioning market:

BOND TYPE FACE VALUE COUPON MATURITY PRICE

A Zero Coupon Bond $100 — 1 year $92.00

B Coupon Bond $100 8% 2 years $101.32

a. Assuming that the coupon bond (bond B) makes only annual payments, what discount factors
(DF1, DF2) are imbedded in these prices? NOTE: Show all your calculations; no points will be
given for answers found by a sophisticated calculator.

b. What are the 1-year, and 2-year spot rates (r1 and r2)?

c. Suppose that you would like to purchase a two-year coupon bond with a face value of $10,000
and a coupon rate of 6% (with annual coupon payments). Since such a bond is not traded in this
economy, what portfolio of bonds A and B could you form to satisfy your needs (i.e. how can you
replicate this bond using the original two bonds). NOTE: Make sure to describe that portfolio
clearly, i.e. what you are buying/selling.

d. What is the exact yield to maturity on

i. bond A;

ii. bond B.

NOTE: Again, show all your calculations; no points will be given for answers found by a
sophisticated calculator. In particular, you will need to use the following formula for the roots of
ax 2 + bx + c = 0:
_______
−b ± ÷b 2 − 4ac .
____________
x=
2a

Your answers should have at least two decimals, like 9.53%.

 Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 2

Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612)

PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM–PART 2

Instructions
PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS

1. Please don’t open the exam until you are told to do so.

2. This exam is being administered under the University’s rules for academic conduct; the Code of
Academic Integrity applies.

3. The exam consists of 5 multiple choice questions and 4 essay questions.

4. Write all of your answers in the blue booklets. If you need more booklets, you can request them, and
they will be provided for you.

5. You must cross out anything that you do not wish to have marked. For the multiple choice questions,
please write your letter answers with a pen. (You can do your calculations in either pen or pencil.
The calculations will not be marked, only the letter answer, so no partial credit is given). For the essay
questions, you may use either a pen or a pencil; partial credit may be given.

6. Important: Print your name and Penn ID number on the first page of your answer sheet booklet.
Also indicate which section of the course you attend, so I can return your exam in the proper section.

7. This is an open-book exam, i.e., you are free to use any course material. You are allowed to use a
pocket calculator. Laptop computers and cell phones are not allowed.

8. You have two hours. The time left in the exam will be announced periodically. If you finish early, you
can quietly hand in your answer sheet booklet and leave, unless there is less than ten minutes left in
the exam.

9. Please stop writing when requested to. There will be a penalty of 20 points for the people
who don’t.

10. Remain seated until all the answer sheet booklets (not just yours) have been collected.
 Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 2

PART I: MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (Total points: 25)

INSTRUCTIONS: A correct answer to each of these questions is worth 5 points. An incorrect answer is
worth 0. Also, for each question that you choose not to answer, you get 1 point. If you do choose to answer,
write your answer clearly on page 1 of your blue booklet. Your answers should be capital letters written
with a pen. Only the final answer will be marked and there shall be no partial credit for the multiple
choice questions.

1. (5 points) Suppose that the price of the stock is S0, and its annual volatility is s. Suppose also that the
annual riskfree rate is rf . According to Black-Scholes, what is the price of a European put option with
a strike price of X maturing in T years? NOTE: In the answers below, we use
 


   
    
  

     
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b.         
 


 
c.          
 


     
d.             
 


     
e.              
 



2. (5 points) Which of the following statements are true?

I. In a perfect capital market, it is advantageous for the firm to issue debt (vs. equity) to finance a
project, because the cost of debt (rD) is always smaller than the cost of equity (rE).
II. The reason that Modigliani and Miller’s Proposition I does not hold in the presence of corporate
taxes is because levered firms pay less taxes than identical unlevered firms.
III. Equity financing is always better than debt financing when the personal tax rate on equity
income (tE) is smaller than the personal tax rate on interest income (tD).
a. I and II d. I, II and III
b. I and III e. fewer than two statements are true.
c. II and III
 Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 2

3. (5 points) If a firm borrows $50 million for one year (i.e., the firm is levered for one year only) at an
interest rate of 9%, what is the present value of the interest tax shield? Assume that there are no per-
sonal taxes, and that the corporate tax rate is 35%.
a. $50.000 million d. $1.575 million
b. $17.500 million e. $1.445 million
c. $4.128 million

4. (5 points) Suppose that you would like to take a position that will give you the following payoff at
time T, as a function of the stock price ST at that time:

Payoff

60

40

0
0 20 40 60 ST

Which of the following strategies will give you this position (assume that all the call and put options
are European options maturing at T, and are written on the given stock)?
I. Buy 1 put with a strike price of 60, buy 1 call with a strike price of 40, and buy 1 call with a strike
price of 20.
II. Buy 1 call with a strike price of 40, buy 1 put with a strike price of 20, and lend (at the riskfree
rate) the present value of $40 deliverable at time T.
III. Buy 1 put with a strike price of 40, buy 1 put with a strike price of 20, and buy 1 share of the
stock.
a. I and II d. I, II and III
b. I and III e. fewer than two positions will give you the desired payoff.
c. II and III

5. (5 points) The Hifalutin Corporation has no debt in its capital structure, and the expected rate of
return on its equity is 15%. There are 300,000 shares outstanding. The company has expected annual
pre-tax earnings of $3 million in perpetuity. The corporate tax rate is 40%. If Hifalutin announces
that it will issue $3.75 million worth of perpetual debt and use the entire proceeds to buy back some
stocks, what will be its new share price? (Ignore personal taxes.)
a. 40.00 d. 50.00
b. 45.00 e. 52.50
c. 48.50
 Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 2

PART II: ESSAY QUESTIONS (Total points: 75)

INSTRUCTIONS: Each of the following questions is to be answered in the blue booklets. You can use a pen
or a pencil. If you need more booklets, you can request them, and they will be provided for you. The num-
ber of points for each question is indicated in parentheses at the beginning of the question. In answering
these questions, make sure to show all your calculations; in particular, no points will be given for calcula-
tor shortcuts. Finally, please keep in mind that I can’t grade what I can’t read.

1. (20 points total) Stiphla Inc.’s real assets are expected to generate earnings before interest and taxes
(EBIT) of $102,000 at the end of every year in perpetuity. The firm is currently financed by 50,000
shares each worth $6.11 and by $130,000 worth of perpetual debt issued at a rate of 12%. The
corporate tax rate is 35%. Ignore personal taxes and bankruptcy costs.
a. (2 points) What is the current total firm value of Stiphla Inc.?

b. (3 points) What is the current expected return on Stiphla’s equity?

c. (2 points) What is Stiphla’s weighted average cost of capital (WACC)?

d. (2 points) Show that the value of the firm can be obtained by discounting its after-tax earnings
at the weighted average cost of capital.

Janine Finch, the CFO of the company, has just found out that Stiphla could issue an additional
$130,000 worth of perpetual debt to buy back some equity. However, because the new debt will be
junior to the original debt, Stiphla will have to pay a rate of 14% on that new debt.
e. (2 points) What is the value of the firm after it goes ahead with the new debt issue?

f. (4 points) What is the new expected return on the firm’s equity?

g. (2 points) Explain why the shareholders are better off (in terms of their total wealth).

h. (3 points) What is Stiphla’s new weighted average cost of capital (WACC)?

 Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 2

2. (10 points total) Firms A and B are both unlevered. The shares of both companies are currently
trading at $100, and both offer an annual pre-tax return of 10%. In the case of firm A, the return is
entirely in the form of a dividend yield (i.e., the company pays a regular annual dividend of $10 a
share). In the case of firm B, the return comes entirely as capital gain (the shares appreciate by 10%
a year). Suppose that an investor buys a share of each firm today, and plans to sell them in 10 years.
Suppose that dividends and capital gains are both taxed at 30%.
a. (5 points) What is the annual after-tax yield (rate of return) on firm A’s share over the 10-year
period?

b. (5 points) What is the annual after-tax yield (rate of return) on firm B’s share over the 10-year
period?

3. (25 points total) The Jack & Diane (JD) Corporation is considering a new 5-year project. Since this
project is very different from JD’s current operations, the adjusted present value will be used to value
the project.
The project requires an initial investment of $750,000 in new assets, which will be depreciated
straight-line to 0 over the project’s 5-year life. These assets will be worthless in five years, i.e., they will
not be resold. (Assume that the depreciation tax shields can be discounted at the project discount
rate). Each year for five years, the project is expected to generate pre-tax revenues of $600,000 and to
require pre-tax costs of $240,000. The entire project will be financed through a 5-year bank loan with
an annual rate of 10%. The principal on the loan will be repaid in equal installments of $150,000
each (i.e., each year, the company pays $150,000 in principal, and pays the interest on the outstanding
loan). It is estimated that the pre-tax costs (payable at time zero) of negotiating the loan will be 4%
of the amount borrowed.
The project’s risk is very similar to the risk of Tommy & Gina (TG) Inc.’s assets. This firm is currently
financed by 100,000 shares worth $12.50 each, and $750,000 worth of debt. The beta of TG’s stock is
1.5, and the company borrows at a rate of 11%. The riskfree rate in the economy is 8%, and the
expected return on the market is 18%. The current corporate tax rate is 45% (assume that it applies
to both JD and TG). Ignore personal taxes.
a. (8 points) What would be the appropriate discount rate for the project, if it were all-equity
financed?

b. (17 points) What is the adjusted present value of the project?

 Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 2

4. (20 points total) During the upcoming year, the stock price of Delinquent Jesters Inc. (DJ) is expected
to go up to $290 or down to $170 with equal probabilities. The beta of the stock is equal to 0.75.
The annual riskfree rate is 10.5%, and the expected annual return on the market is 16.5%. You are
interested in replicating and pricing a European call option on DJ’s stock. The option has a strike
price of $212, and will mature in one year.
a. (4 points) What is the current price of DJ’s stock?

b. (6 points) Using the stock and borrowing/lending (at the riskfree rate), form a portfolio that will
replicate the call option. How many shares of DJ will you buy/sell, and how much money will you
borrow/lend?

c. (3 points) Use the portfolio derived in part (b) to price the call option.

d. (4 points) What is the beta and expected return of the call option?

e. (3 points) Using the result from part (d), show that the price of the call option found in part (c)
can also be derived by discounting the expected cash flow of the option.
 Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 1 ANSWERS

Placement / Waiver Exam-Part 1 Answers FNCE 611/612 -

Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 1 ANSWERS
Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 1 ANSWERS
Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 1 ANSWERS
 Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 2 ANSWERS

Placement / Waiver Exam-Part 2 Answers FNCE 611/612 -

Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 2 ANSWERS
Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 2 ANSWERS
Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 2 ANSWERS
Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 2 ANSWERS
Corporate Finance (FNCE 611/612) PLACEMENT/WAIVER EXAM – PART 2 ANSWERS